Vagrant Snow
by Ghilda
Summary: A story based on the world previous to the happenings of Wolfs Rain. The characters are 100% my own.
1. Chapter 1

Toxicity report # 377IC [INFORMATION EXPUNGED], California

Sample taken at 14:38

Soil has returned to neutral levels, all signs of agent C055E reduced to NNR states, except in subject carcasses. No other fauna or flora appear to be damaged. Scavengers do not appear attracted to subject carcasses, and carcasses are scheduled to be sent to station E1A for disposal. This concludes the final field entry for project Green Expansion. Equipment is set to be returned to US officials by XX:XX on July XX, 21XX.

News broadcast, the previous year:

"The spacing crisis has ruined us, with large cities beging to collapse due to sewage problems. But with the development of hijack-geneticism, perhaps our space needs can be met. The scientists at Redfield Centers have discovered a biological agent that can be tweaked to exterminate any certain species through a tweak in it's chemical properties. This "anti-genome agent" as it is called, will be able to wipe out entire populations by preventing cell replication in the target species. Originally studied for use as a cancer drug, the "anti-genome agent" will be used to destroy nuisance animals that encroach on human cities, such as roaches and bed bugs..."

News broadcast, a few months following the previous recording:

"...Scientists at Redfield Centers have created an AGA designed to destroy populations of wild dogs, such as coyotes and wolves. It is still unsure how far the testing will go, but the scientists are continuing to research a means to single out only wild populations and not affect house pets.

Our guest Thomas Bledsoe explains:

'We have only just begun to scratch the surface in these studies, and while a threat is posed to pets through this version of the chemical, we will not implement it until we have a family- safe means of spreading the agent.'

Redfield representatives are meeting with govenent officials within the year to request funding for a nation-wide eradication project for problem species such as the wild dogs."


	2. Cages

One night in the wilderness in western Canada, Talane sat in her small cage. The nightbirds soared silently over her head, her eyes clearly saw what she could not hear. They seemed to taunt her with every flap, climbing higher and higher in large spirals. She became dizzy, and placed her head on her huge paws, closing her amber eyes.

A male red fox, nameless, spun in circles in his cage next to her. He mumbeled various things as he pounced at the corners and lept around. Half of his tail was missing exposing his white underfur, yet he didn't seem to notice that it was missing or even any different from the rest of the animals surrounding them, Talane thought. They all had something missing, either mentally or physically. She herself was placid, born in a white walled room with men around her with queer white masks, and she had all but given up her sanity. She was still young, and didn't mind being fed every day by the humans. She could tell that these woods had very little food for her to make meal of, and did not try to chew the mettal mesh that kept her there. Her ears flicked forward at the sound of footsteps.

The tall man came with his pole, the one that would make the other animals disappear. She shrunk back to the far corner of her cage. He seemed to be walking straight at her, but arrived at the fox's cage next to her. He reached in with his pole and grabbed the squirming animal by it's neck and dragging it out of the cage and towards the building next to the series of cages. She sighed through her nose in relief. At least he wasn't much of a companion.

She was almost asleep when more footsteps came. Opening her eyes, the cruel pole slipped it's noose around her neck. Gagging, her mouth sprang open and snapped down on the pole, bending it. She was taken into a spasm as a flood of electricity hit her. She vomitted, then fainted.

Six serious men joined the voice only chat that night.

"The media is amply appeased, kudos"- said the distorted voice behind the farthest right screen.

"Their suspicions shall be quieted with the implementation of the next agent..." said a second, a sip from a coffee cup was heard.

"I assure all of you, as I have done before, this shall be the greatest feat mankind has ever-" the man in the middle was cut off by the tall man, whose avatar screen was set above the other 5.

"Now is not the time for gloating, there are many preparations to make... I trust the SEPTA 0200 plan has been completed?"

"Yes" the other 5 said in perfect unison.

One spoke out: "Men are in position to confront SEPTA if they do not abide by their given orders."

"When is the transfer of ownership of the final code segment supposed to be inacted?" the main voice stated ominously.

"Tomorrow at 0700"

At SEPTA headquarters, in one of the cold steel rooms:

Silvie sat in front of her computer, focused tapping her chewed up pin nervously. The tap on her shoulder made her yell and almost fall over.

"Lord, Yakimo! You scared the shit out of me!" Silvie unruffled herself and sat back down. Her eyes returned listlessly to the simple flashing green cursor in a sea of black.

Yakimo knelt next to her chair and put his hand on her shoulder. "Just checking up on you... Say, how are those codes coming?"

Silvie placed the pen back in her mouth and continued to focus on the cursor. "One isn't running the way it was intended..." she bit down a little harder on the pen.

"I see..." Yakimo was suddenly serious. He pushed up his glasses. "Let me see the printout tomorrow, until then rerun it through different filters until you can get a match." With a pat of her shoulder, he rose and walked towards the steel door. "Oh, they say the ink in those things can kill ya, just thought I'd let you know..." A sense of irony took tone in his voice at the word ink.

Refusing to take the pen out of her mouth, she slouched back onto her desk and sighed as she heard steel door slam behind her. "What's his problem?"


End file.
